How a Norwegian conglomerate preserved the taste of South India and turned it global

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a 5-nation tour will leave for Norway on May 18 for the 3rd India-Nordic Summit and bilateral engagements. For Prime Minister Modi it will be his first visit to Norway, while it will mark the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Norway in 43 years.

Both the countries have shared very cordial relations which is also evident from homes across India and its diaspora, that love the taste of their sambar, rasam, or a perfectly spiced biryani which is cooked in spices from two trusted names: MTR and Eastern. Few realise that behind these quintessentially South Indian brands lies a Norwegian connection, Orkla ASA, the Oslo-based consumer goods giant that has quietly become one of India’s significant yet unobtrusive foreign investors in food.

The story of MTR begins in 1924 with Yagnanarayana Maiya’s modest Mavalli Tiffin Room in Bangalore. For decades it was a beloved South Indian eatery. But the 1975 Emergency and strict price controls forced the family to innovate. In 1976 they launched ready-to-eat mixes and chutneys. What started as a survival strategy became a packaged foods revolution. By the 1980s, MTR was expanding across southern states.

In 2007, Orkla acquired MTR for about $80 million. Under Norwegian stewardship, the brand’s revenues grew five-fold while its cultural identity remained untouched. The green-and-yellow packaging, the vegetarian recipes perfected over generations, and the “taste of home” promise stayed intact. What changed was scale. Orkla introduced professional supply chains, innovation pipelines and global distribution. Today MTR products reach 32 countries, with strong markets in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

The Norwegian appetite for Indian food grew further in 2020 when Orkla, through MTR, bought a 67.82% stake in Kerala’s Eastern Condiments for roughly ₹2,000 crore. Founded by the Meeran family of Kochi, Eastern had become India’s largest branded spice exporter for 24 straight years, dominant in the Gulf and popular for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian preparations.

The two brands complement each other perfectly, Karnataka-rooted, instant-food-focused MTR and spice-and-condiment powerhouse Eastern together span the full spectrum of South Indian cooking. The merged Orkla India now operates nine factories across six states, employs over 4,000 people and generates revenues exceeding ₹2,400 crore. Export earnings alone touched ₹486 crore in FY25, accounting for over 20% of turnover.

In mid-2025, Orkla India filed for an IPO, signalling confidence in the Indian market while planning to retain control. The company, led by MD & CEO Sanjay Sharma, has earmarked ₹700 crore for further acquisitions as it seeks to consolidate its position in India’s vast FMCG sector. From Bangalore’s tiffin rooms to Oslo boardrooms, the journey of MTR and Eastern shows that the best business stories often begin with the simplest of Indian meals.